7 days in Philippines - Manila, Cebu & Boracay

Philippines - an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia offers a diverse experience of water activities, beach beauty and terrific terrains. People spend months exploring the 6000+ islands of Philippines so clearly 7 days is not enough. But it is enough to leave you with a taste of Philippines so that you keep wanting to come back again and again.

This 7-day itinerary covers the capital city Manila, Central Visayas Cebu and the best beach ever, Boracay. Most travellers completely skip Manila and add another island to their itinerary. You can totally modify it.

I have answered some FAQs at the end of the itinerary. If you have any other questions, feel free to comment.

Here is our quick itinerary:

DAY 1-2: Manila

DAY 3-4: Cebu

DAY 5-6: Boracy

DAY 7: Travel Back Home!

Let’s deep dive into how you can spend your days in these gorgeous places.

DAY 1-2: Manila, the capital

If you’re from Mumbai, you’ll be comparing Manila to Mumbai at every turn. Its so similar, I can understand the urge to skip it. However I spent 2 days in Manila, I do think it’s worth visiting once. Specially if you’ve never been to Europe as the architecture in Intramuros is gorgeous. 

We landed in Manila early morning and stayed in Winford Resort & Casino, Manila. It’s a 15 min cab ride away from Intramuros and no the public transport in Manila isn’t super convenient. At least I didn’t opt for it. The cabs (Grab) aren’t that expensive (specially if you’re from Mumbai) and quicker than taking a metro. 

In the morning, start with the National Museum of Natural History and spend the afternoon at National Museum of Fine Arts. If you’re not a museum person, take a walk around the Intramuros and explore the sights around Rizal Park, Manila Cathedral, Fort Santiago, Casa Manila, University of Santo Tomos and end the evening at the gorgeous Manila Bay. You can explore this all walking or take a Jeepny for an adventure. 

End your day at Cafe Belfry in Manila Cathedral.

For your second day you can take a Tagaytay Day Tour and explore the Filippino country side. 

You can also spend a leisurely day exploring the inside of Fort Santiago and laze in the amazing cafes inside. 

DAY 3-4: Cebu, Central Visayas

Oslob Whale Shark Swimming and Kawasan Falls Canyoneering tour

We took a night flight from Manila to Cebu. The intra-country flights are extremely cheap. This AirAsia flight costed us Rs. 5500/- with 40 kg additional luggage for 2 people. Yes, that’s it! We landed in Cebu and stayed at Savoy Matcan which is near the airport. We had booked a trip of a lifetime to Swim with Whale Sharks in Oslob & Kawasan Falls Canyoneering in Cebu. There are many, many tour providers for this, you can also do this cheaper if you’re staying in South Cebu.

We were staying near the airport because of the late night flight hence we opted for a fully paid door-to-door tour by HRI Tours.

You can also book an excellent tour from Viator here.

The air-conditioned car came to pick us up at 4 am in the morning and we slept off for the majority of the trip. We reached Oslob at 8 AM, where we were to swim with whale sharks in the sea! There is a token system and our turn came at 11:30 AM which gave us ample time to eat, look around and we could’ve gone to Tumlog Falls nearby however were busy looking at people scuba diving and spotting sharks in the sea.

After the totally worth-the-wait shark swim, we drove another 2 hours to begin our Canyoneering at 2 PM. We had no idea the adventure we were embarking on. We zip-lined to the base of the falls and then swam, jumped, hopped, fell, scrambled across the gorgeous waterfall. If you’re in Cebu even for a day, DO THIS! You’ll leave a braver human. 

We had an absolutely amazing guide, 10/10 for him. They had arranged delicious, authentic filippino lunch which was vegetarian - inti khushi! We drove back to the city and reached Cebu at 9 PM in the night. We had a flight next morning - however, we do suggest staying in Cebu another day and explore the many, many waterfalls this region has. You can also go to the Pescador Island and swim with sardines and turtles there. Do arrange for transportation or rent a bike and explore at your own pace.

DAY 5-6: Boracay, White Sand Beach 

Gaurav loves mountains and I love beaches but here, I LOVED the beach and Gaurav is a convert - partial only to this beach. 

However, before I get into Boracay, fair waring, reaching there is a multi-modal journey. 

We took a flight from Cebu to Boracay (6k only-for both of us!), the airport is the cutest open airport I’ve seen with a manual baggage collection space. At the airport, there are counters from which you can book a Southwest transport which includes -

Bus to Ferry Terminal

Ferry to Boracay Island

Bus to your Hotel 

Yes my friend, you do this again when you come back and this is almost 4.5k - as expensive as the flight! 

There is another option:

Tricycle to Ferry Terminal

Ferry to Boracay

Bus to your Hotel

However you’ll have to book everything individually in this case - which is a bit of a hassle. 

We were staying at Savoy Hotel however we recommend staying closer to the White Beach. There are several hotels available along the shopping street of D-Mall. D-Mall has the absolute best stuff to shop for in terms of jewellery, surf clothes, flip-flops, hats, bags and so much more. Next time I’m not packing anything for Boracay and will shop for everything!

All we did in Boracay was - nothing! We walked along the D-Mall, drank beers and chilled on the pristine white beach all day long. 

We spent one evening at Puka Beach which is at the edge of Boracay and enjoyed a serene sunset. 

There are several adventure activities you can opt for here. Gaurav and I had become adrenaline junkies post Cebu and went for Aquanaut in the depths of the ocean. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The absolute silence and stark beauty is breathtaking. We literally found the lost Nemo in Boracay! 

This was the end of our trip, we flew back to India the next day and wrapped our trip. 

How to reach Philippines from India?

As there is no direct flight, we stopped at Singapore for a day and then flew to Manila.

Should we carry cash?

Yes! Most tour operators and guides asked for cash. ATMs are easily available but to save on the transaction fee of 250 pesos for every transaction take out 20,000 pesos for 7 Days of trip. 

How expensive is Philippines?

One of the cheapest country to visit. Even though peso was 1.5x of INR but we ended up spending less than we would in Mumbai. For example, even meals at a 4 star costed just 1500 INR. 

How to travel in Philippines?

The flights are pretty cheap to travel from one island to another. There are jeepneys in Manila, Grab is also only in Manila. Within the islands you can hire a bike, ride and auto or take a hop-on card in Boracay. 

Hope this helps, if you have more questions do ask in the comments below!